Wildflower Meadows Update

Our new English wildflower meadows are in their first year and, while they may not yet be bursting with colour, they are developing well. Encouragingly, we’re already seeing key species such as yellow rattle, self-heal, ox-eye daisies, finer grasses such as crested dog’s-tail, and a profusion of buttercups beginning to establish.

The first meeting of our new wildflower meadow friends volunteer group took place on Monday 16th June, and thanks to a fantastic effort, we successfully cleared all of the dock from one of the meadow areas. The hard work was rewarded with a wonderful discovery—orchids growing amongst the grasses!

To ensure the meadows continue to thrive, it’s vital that we keep on top of weed growth, especially in these early stages. Volunteers will now be meeting every Monday at 6:30pm throughout the summer while work remains to be done.  The location will vary across the six meadow areas.

Next sessions:

Monday 23rd June – Cranage Orchard (Middlewich Road)

Monday 30th June – Meadow to the left of the Needham Estate entrance

Monday 7th July - Cranage Football pitches

Monday 14th July - Upper Needham Drive meadow (Buttercup meadow)

We’d love to see some new faces—extra pairs of hands are always welcome! Whether you can join regularly or just now and then, your help will make a real difference as we nurture these meadows into flourishing havens for wildlife in the years to come.  Please bring a sharp spade and come along if you can.